The Birth of Mary the Holy Mother of God, and Very Glorious Mother of Jesus Christ.
1. In the records of the twelve tribes of Israel was Joachim, a man
rich exceedingly; and he brought his offerings double,
saying: There shall be of my superabundance to all the people, and
there shall be the offering for my forgiveness to the Lord
for a propitiation for me. For the great day of the Lord was at hand,
and the sons of Israel were bringing their offerings. And
there stood over against him Rubim, saying: It is not meet for thee
first to bring thine offerings, because thou hast not made seed in Israel.
And Joachim was exceedingly grieved, and went away to the registers of
the twelve tribes of the people, saying: I
shall see the registers of the twelve tribes of Israel, as to whether
I alone have not made seed in Israel. And he searched, and
found that all the righteous had raised up seed in Israel. And he called
to mind the patriach Abraham, that in the last day God
gave him a son Isaac. And Joachim was exceedingly grieved, and did
not come into the presence of his wife; but he retired to
the desert, and there pitched his tent, and fasted forty days and forty
nights, saying in himself: I will not go down either for
food or for drink until the Lord my God shall look upon me, and prayer
shall be my food and drink.
2. And his wife Anna mourned in two mournings, and lamented in two lamentations,
saying: I shall bewail my widowhood; I
shall bewail my childlessness. And the great day of the Lord was at
hand; and Judith her maid-servant said: How long dost
thou humiliate thy soul? Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand,
and it is unlawful for thee to mourn. But take this
head-band, which the woman that made it gave to me; for it is not proper
that I should wear it, because I am a maid-servant,
and it has a royal appearance. And Anna said: Depart from me; for I
have not done such things, and the Lord has brought me
very low. I fear that some wicked person has given it to thee, and
thou hast come to make me a sharer in thy sin. And Judith
said: Why should I curse thee, seeing that the Lord hath shut thy womb,
so as not to give thee fruit in Israel? And Anna was
grieved exceedingly, and put off her garments of mourning, and cleaned
her head, and put on her wedding garments, and about
the ninth hour went down to the garden to walk. And she saw a laurel,
and sat under it, and prayed to the Lord, saying: O God
of our fathers, bless me and hear my prayer, as Thou didst bless the
womb of Sarah, and didst give her a son Isaac.
3. And gazing towards the heaven, she saw a sparrow's nest in the laurel,
and made a lamentation in herself, saying: Alas!
who begot me? and what womb produced me? because I have become a curse
in the presence of the sons of Israel, and I
have been reproached, and they have driven me in derision out of the
temple of the Lord. Alas! to what have I been likened? I
am not like the fowls of the heaven, because even the fowls of the
heaven are productive before Thee, O Lord. Alas! to what
have I been likened? I am not like the beasts of the earth, because
even the beasts of the earth are productive before Thee, O
Lord. Alas! to what have I been likened? I am not like these waters,
because even these waters are productive before Thee, O Lord. Alas! to
what have I been likened? I am not like this earth, because even the earth
bringeth forth its fruits in season, and
blesseth Thee, O Lord.
4. And, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by, saying: Anna, Anna, the
Lord hath heard thy prayer, and thou shalt conceive,
and shall bring forth; and thy seed shall be spoken of in all the world.
And Anna said: As the Lord my God liveth, if I beget
either male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God;
and it shall minister to Him in holy things all the days of its
life. And, behold, two angels came, saying to her: Behold, Joachim
thy husband is coming with his flocks. For an angel of
the Lord went down to him, saying: Joachim, Joachim, the Lord God hath
heard thy prayer Go down hence; for, behold, thy
wife Anna shall conceive. And Joachim went down and called his shepherds,
saying: Bring me hither ten she-lambs without spot or blemish, and they
shall be for the Lord my God; and bring me twelve tender calves, and they
shall be for the priests and the
elders; and a hundred goats for all the people. And, behold, Joachim
came with his flocks; and Anna stood by the gate, and
saw Joachim coming, and she ran and hung upon his neck, saying: Now
I know that the Lord God hath blessed me
exceedingly; for, behold the widow no longer a widow, and I the childless
shall conceive. And Joachim rested the first day in
his house.
5. And on the following day he brought his offerings, saying in himself:
If the Lord God has been rendered gracious to me, the
plate on the priest's forehead will make it manifest to me. And Joachim
brought his offerings, and observed attentively the
priest's plate when he went up to the altar of the Lord, and he saw
no sin in himself. And Joachim said: Now I know that the
Lord has been gracious unto me, and has remitted all my sins. And he
went down from the temple of the Lord justified, and
departed to his own house. And her months were fulfilled, and in the
ninth month Anna brought forth. And she said to the
midwife: What have I brought forth? and she said: A girl. And said
Anna: My soul has been magnified this day. And she laid her down. And the
days having been fulfilled, Anna was purified, and gave the breast to the
child, and called her name Mary.
6. And the child grew strong day by day; and when she was six months
old, her mother set her on the ground to try whether
she could stand, and she walked seven steps and came into her bosom;
and she snatched her up, saying: As the Lord my God
liveth, thou shall not walk on this earth until I bring thee into the
temple of the Lord. And she made a sanctuary in her
bed-chamber, and allowed nothing common or unclean to pass through
her. And she called the undefiled daughters of the
Hebrews, and they led her astray. And when she was a year old, Joachim
made a great feast, and invited the priests, and the
scribes, and the elders, and all the people of Israel. And Joachim
brought the child to the priests; and they blessed her, saying:
O God of our fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting
name to be named in all generations. And all the people said:
So be it, so be it, amen. And he brought her to the chief priests;
and they blessed her, saying: O God most high, look upon this
child, and bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be for ever.
And her mother snatched her up, and took her into the
sanctuary of her bed-chamber, and gave her the breast. And Anna made
a song to the Lord God, saying: I will sing a song to
the Lord my God, for He hath looked upon me, and hath taken away the
reproach of mine enemies; and the Lord hath given
the fruit of His righteousness, singular in its kind, and richly endowed
before Him. Who will tell the sons of Rubim that Anna
gives suck? Hear, hear, ye twelve tribes of Israel, that Anna gives
suck. And she laid her to rest in the bed-chamber of her
sanctuary, and went out and ministered unto them. And when the supper
was ended, they went down rejoicing, and glorifying
the God of Israel.
7. And her months were added to the child. And the child was two years
old, and Joachim said: Let us take her up to the
temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow that we have vowed, lest
perchance the Lord send to us, and our offering be
not received. And Anna said: Let us wait for the third year, in order
that the child may not seek for father or mother. And
Joachim said: So let us wait. And the child was three years old, and
Joachim said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are
undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the
lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her
heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord. And they did so until
they went up into the temple of the Lord. And the priest
received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has
magnified thy name in all generations. In thee, on the last of
the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel.
And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and
the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and
all the house of Israel loved her.
8. And her parents went down marvelling, and praising the Lord God,
because the child had not turned back. And Mary was in the temple of the
Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt there, and she received food from
the hand of an angel. And when she
was twelve years old there was held a council of the priests, saying:
Behold, Mary has reached the age of twelve years in the
temple of the Lord. What then shall we do with her, test perchance
she defile the sanctuary of the Lord? And they said to the
high priest: Thou standest by the altar of the Lord; go in, and pray
concerning her; and whatever the Lord shall manifest unto
thee, that also will we do. And the high priest went in, taking the
robe with the twelve bells into the holy of holies; and he
prayed concerning her. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by him,
saying unto him: Zacharias, Zacharias, go out and
assemble the widowers of the people, and let them bring each his rod;
and to whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife
shall she be. And the heralds went out through all the circuit of Judaea,
and the trumpet of the Lord sounded, and all ran.
9. And Joseph, throwing away his axe, went out to meet them; and when
they had assembled, they went away to the high
priest, taking with them their rods. And he, taking the rods of all
of them, entered into the temple, and prayed; and having
ended his prayer, he took the rods and came out, and gave them to them:
but there was no sign in them, and Joseph took his
rod last; and, behold, a dove came out of the rod, and flew upon Joseph's
head. And the priest said to Joseph, Thou hast been
chosen by lot to take into thy keeping the virgin of the Lord. But
Joseph refused, saying: I have children, and I am an old man,
and she is a young girl. I am afraid lest I become a laughing-stock
to the sons of Israel. And the priest said to Joseph: Fear the
Lord thy God, and remember what the Lord did to Dathan, and Abiram,
and Korah; how the earth opened, and they were
swallowed up on account of their contradiction. And now fear, O Joseph,
lest the same things happen in thy house. And Joseph
was afraid, and took her into his keeping. And Joseph said to Mary:
Behold, I have received thee from the temple of the Lord;
and now I leave thee in my house, and go away to build my buildings,
and I shall come to thee. The Lord will protect thee.
10. And there was a council of the priests, saying: Let us make a veil
for the temple of the Lord. And the priest said: Call to me
the undefiled virgins of the family of David. And the officers went
away, and sought, and found seven virgins. And the priest
remembered the child Mary, that she was of the family of David, and
undefiled before God. And the officers went away and
brought her. And they brought them into the temple of the Lord. And
the priest said: Choose for me by lot who shall spin the
gold, and the white, and the fine linen, and the silk, and the blue,
and the scarlet, and the true purple. And the true purple
and the scarlet fell to the lot of Mary, and she took them, and went
away to her house. And at that time Zacharias was dumb,
and Samuel was in his place until the time that Zacharias spake. And
Mary took the scarlet, and span it.
11. And she took the pitcher, and went out to fill it with water. And,
behold, a voice saying: Hail, thou who hast received grace;
the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women! And she looked
round, on the right hand and on the left, to see
whence this voice came. And she went away, trembling, to her house,
and put down the pitcher; and taking the purple, she sat
down on her seat, and drew it out. And, behold, an angel of the Lord
stood before her, saying: Fear not, Mary; for thou hast
found grace before the Lord of all, and thou shalt conceive, according
to His word. And she hearing, reasoned with herself,
saying: Shall I conceive by the Lord, the living God? and shall I bring
forth as every woman brings forth? And the angel of the
Lord said: Not so, Mary; for the power of the Lord shall overshadow
thee: wherefore also that holy thing which shall be born
of thee shall be called the Son of the Most High. And thou shalt call
His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their
sins. And Mary said: Behold, the servant of the Lord before His face:
let it be unto me according to thy word.
12. And she made the purple and the scarlet, and took them to the priest.
And the priest blessed her, and said: Mary, the Lord
God hath magnified thy name, and thou shall be blessed in all the generations
of the earth. And Mary, with great joy, went away
to Elizabeth her kinswoman, and knocked at the door. And when Elizabeth
heard her, she threw away the scarlet, and ran
to the door, and opened it; and seeing Mary, she blessed her, and said:
Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord
should come to me? for, behold, that which is in me leaped and blessed
thee. But Mary had forgotten the mysteries of which
the archangel Gabriel had spoken, and gazed up into heaven, and said:
Who am I, O Lord, that all the generations of the earth
should bless me? And she remained three months with Elizabeth; and
day by day she grew bigger. And Mary being afraid,
went away to her own house, and hid herself from the sons of Israel.
And she was sixteen years old when these mysteries
happened.
13. And she was in her sixth month; and, behold, Joseph came back from
his building, and, entering into his house, he
discovered that she was big with child. And he smote his face, and
threw himself on the ground upon the sackcloth, and
wept bitterly, saying: With what face shall I look upon the Lord my
God? and what prayer shall I make about this maiden?
because I received her a virgin out of the temple of the Lord, and
I have not watched over her. Who is it that has hunted me
down? Who has done this evil thing in my house, and defiled the virgin?
Has not the history of Adam been repeated in me? For
just as Adam was in the hour of his singing praise, and the serpent
came, and found Eve alone, and completely deceived her,
so it has happened to me also. And Joseph stood up from the sackcloth,
and called Mary, and said to her: O thou who hast
been cared for by God, why hast thou done this and forgotten the Lord
thy God? Why hast thou brought low thy soul, thou that
wast brought up in the holy of holies, and that didst receive food
from the hand of an angel? And she wept bitterly, saying: I am
innocent, and have known no man. And Joseph said to her: Whence then
is that which is in thy womb? And she said: As the
Lord my God liveth, I do not know whence it is to me.
14. And Joseph was greatly afraid, and retired from her, and considered
what he should do in regard to her. And Joseph
said: If I conceal her sin, I find myself fighting against the law
of the Lord; and if I expose her to the sons of Israel, I am afraid
lest that which is in her be from an angel, and I shall be found giving
up innocent blood to the doom of death. What then shall
I do with her? I will put her away from me secretly. And night came
upon him; and, behold, an angel of the Lord appears to
him in a dream, saying: Be not afraid for this maiden, for that which
is in her is of the Holy Spirit; and she will bring forth a Son,
and thou shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from
their sins. And Joseph arose from sleep, and glorified the
God of Israel, who had given him this grace; and he kept her.
15. And Annas the scribe came to him, and said: Why hast thou not appeared
in our assembly? And Joseph said to him:
Because I was weary from my journey, and rested the first day. And
he turned, and saw that Mary was with child. And he ran
away to the priest? and said to him: Joseph, whom thou didst vouch
for, has committed a grievous crime. And the priest said:
How so? And he said: He has defiled the virgin whom he received out
of the temple of the Lord, and has married her by
stealth, and has not revealed it to the sons of Israel. And the priest
answering, said: Has Joseph done this? Then said Annas the
scribe: Send officers, and thou wilt find the virgin with child. And
the officers went away, and found it as he had said; and they
brought her along with Joseph to the tribunal. And the priest said:
Mary, why hast thou done this? and why hast thou brought
thy soul low, and forgotten the Lord thy God? Thou that wast reared
in the holy of holies, and that didst receive food from the
hand of an angel, and didst hear the hymns, and didst dance before
Him, why hast thou done this? And she wept bitterly,
saying: As the Lord my God liveth, I am pure before Him, and know not
a man. And the priest said to Joseph: Why hast thou
done this? And Joseph said: As the Lord liveth, I am pure concerning
her. Then said the priest: Bear not false witness, but
speak the truth. Thou hast married her by stealth, and hast not revealed
it to the sons of Israel, and hast not bowed thy head
under the strong hand, that thy seed might be blessed. And Joseph was
silent.
16. And the priest said: Give up the virgin whom thou didst receive
out of the temple of the Lord. And Joseph burst into tears.
And the priest said: I will give you to drink of the water of the ordeal
of the Lord, and He shall make manifest your sins in
your eyes. And the priest took the water, and gave Joseph to drink
and sent him away to the hill-country; and he returned
unhurt. And he gave to Mary also to drink, and sent her away to the
hill-country; and she returned unhurt. And all the people
wondered that sin did not appear in them. And the priest said: If the
Lord God has not made manifest your sins, neither do I
judge you. And he sent them away. And Joseph took Mary, and went away
to his own house, rejoicing and glorifying the God
of Israel.
17. And there was an order from the Emperor Augustus, that all in Bethlehem
of Judaea should be enrolled. And Joseph said:
I shall enrol my sons, but what shall I do with this maiden? How shall
I enrol her? As my wife? I am ashamed. As my daughter
then? But all the sons of Israel know that she is not my daughter.
The day of the Lord shall itself bring it to pass as the Lord
will. And he saddled the ass, and set her upon it; and his son led
it, and Joseph followed. And when they had come within
three miles, Joseph turned and saw her sorrowful; and he said to himself:
Likely that which is in her distresses her. And again
Joseph turned and saw her laughing. And he said to her: Mary, how is
it that I see in thy face at one time laughter, at another
sorrow? And Mary said to Joseph: Because I see two peoples with my
eyes; the one weeping and lamenting, and the other
rejoicing and exulting. And they came into the middle of the road,
and Mary said to him: Take me down from off the ass, for
that which is in me presses to come forth. And he took her down from
off the ass, and said to her: Whither shall I lead thee,
and cover thy disgrace? for the place is desert.
18. And he found a cave there, and led her into it; and leaving his
two sons beside her, he went out to seek a widwife in the
district of Bethlehem. And I Joseph was walking, and was not
walking; and I looked up into the sky, and saw the sky astonished; and
I looked up to the pole of the heavens, and saw it standing, and the birds
of the air keeping still. And I looked down upon the earth, and saw a trough
lying, and work-people reclining: and their hands were in the trough. And
those that were eating did not eat, and those that were rising did not
carry it up, and those that were conveying anything to their mouths did
not convey it; but the faces of all were looking upwards. And I saw the
sheep walking, and the sheep stood still; and the shepherd raised his hand
to strike them, and his hand remained up. And I looked upon the current
of the river, and I saw the mouths of the kids resting on the water and
not drinking, and all things in a moment were driven from their course.
19. And I saw a woman coming down from the hill-country, and she said
to me: O man, whither art thou going? And I said: I
am seeking an Hebrew midwife. And she answered and said unto me: Art
thou of Israel? And I said to her: Yes. And she said:
And who is it that is bringing forth in the cave? And I said: A woman
betrothed to me. And she said to me: Is she not thy wife?
And I said to her: It is Mary that was reared in the temple of the
Lord, and I obtained her by lot as my wife. And yet she is not
my wife, but has conceived of the Holy Spirit.
And the widwife said to him: Is this true? And Joseph said to her: Come
and see. And the midwife went away with him. And
they stood in the place of the cave, and behold a luminous cloud overshadowed
the cave. And the midwife said: My soul has
been magnified this day, because mine eyes have seen strange things-because
salvation has been brought forth to Israel. And
immediately the cloud disappeared out of the cave, and a great light
shone in the cave, so that the eyes could not bear it. And in a little
that light gradually decreased, until the infant appeared, and went and
took the breast from His mother Mary. And the
midwife cried out, and said: This is a great day to me, because I have
seen this strange sight. And the midwife went forth out of
the cave, and Salome met her. And she said to her: Salome, Salome,
I have a strange sight to relate to thee: a virgin has brought forth-a
thing which her nature admits not of. Then said Salome: As the Lord my
God liveth, unless I thrust in my finger, and
search the parts, I will not believe that a virgin has brought forth.
20. And the midwife went in, and said to Mary: Show thyself; for no
small controversy has arisen about thee. And Salome put
in her finger, and cried out, and said: Woe is me for mine iniquity
and mine unbelief, because I have tempted the living God;
and, behold, my hand is dropping off as if burned with fire. And she
bent her knees before the Lord, saying: O God of my
fathers, remember that I am the seed of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob;
do not make a show of me to the sons of Israel, but
restore me to the poor; for Thou knowest, O Lord, that in Thy name
I have performed my services, and that I have received
my reward at Thy hand. And, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by her,
saying to her: Salome, Salome, the Lord hath heard
thee. Put thy hand to the infant, and carry it, and thou wilt have
safety and joy. And Salome went and carried it, saying: I will
worship Him, because a great King has been born to Israel. And, behold,
Salome was immediately cured, and she went forth
out of the cave justified. And behold a voice saying: Salome, Salome,
tell not the strange things thou hast seen, until the child
has come into Jerusalem.
21. And, behold, Joseph was ready to go into Judaea. And there was a
great commotion in Bethlehem of Judaea, for Magi
came, saying: Where is he that is born king of the Jews? for we have
seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.
And when Herod heard, he was much disturbed, and sent officers to the
Magi. And he sent for the priests, and examined them, saying: How is it
written about the Christ? where is He to be born? And they said: In Bethlehem
of Judaea, for so it is written.
And he sent them away. And he examined the Magi, saying to them: What
sign have you seen in reference to the king that has
been born? And the Magi said: We have seen a star of great size shining
among these stars, and obscuring their light, so that the
stars did not appear; and we thus knew that a king has been born to
Israel, and we have come to worship him. And Herod
said: Go and seek him; and if you find him, let me know, in order that
I also may go and worship him. And the Magi went out.
And, behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them
until they came to the cave, and it stood over the top of
the cave. And the Magi saw the infant with His mother Mary; and they
brought forth from their bag gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And having
been warned by the angel not to go into Judaea, they went into their own
country by another road.
22. And when Herod knew that he had been mocked by the Magi, in a rage
he sent murderers, saying to them: Slay the
children from two years old and under. And Mary, having heard that
the children were being killed, was afraid, and took the
infant and swaddled Him, and put Him into an ox-stall. And Elizabeth,
having heard that they were searching for John, took him and went up into
the hill-country, and kept looking where to conceal him. And there was
no place of concealment. And
Elizabeth, groaning with a loud voice, says: O mountain of God, receive
mother and child. And immediately the mountain was
cleft, and received her. And a light shone about them, for an angel
of the Lord was with them, watching over them.
23. And Herod searched for John, and sent officers to Zacharias, saying:
Where hast thou hid thy son? And he, answering, said to them: I am the
servant of God in holy things, and I sit constantly in the temple of the
Lord: I do not know where my son is.
And the officers went away, and reported all these things to Herod.
And Herod was enraged, and said: His son is destined to
be king over Israel. And he sent to him again, saying: Tell the truth;
where is thy son? for thou knowest that thy life is in my
hand. And Zacharias said: I am God's martyr, if thou sheddest my blood;
for the Lord will receive my spirit, because thou
sheddest innocent blood at the vestibule of the temple of the Lord.
And Zacharias was murdered about daybreak. And the
sons of Israel did not know that he had been murdered.
24. But at the hour of the salutation the priests went away, and Zacharias
did not come forth to meet them with a blessing,
according to his custom. And the priests stood waiting for Zacharias
to salute him at the prayer, and to glorify the Most
High. And he still delaying, they were all afraid. But one of them
ventured to go in, and he saw clotted blood beside the altar;
and he heard a voice saying: Zacharias has been murdered, and his blood
shall not be wiped up until his avenger come. And
hearing this saying, he was afraid, and went out and told it to the
priests. And they ventured in, and saw what had happened;
and the fretwork of the temple made a wailing noise, and they rent
their clothes from the top even to the bottom. And they
found not his body, but they found his blood turned into stone. And
they were afraid, and went out and reported to the people
that Zacharias had been murdered. And all the tribes of the people
heard, and mourned, and lamented for him three days and
three nights. And after the three days, the priests consulted as to
whom they should put in his place; and the lot fell upon
Simeon. For it was he who had been warned by the Holy Spirit that he
should not see death until he should see the Christ in the flesh.
And I James that wrote this history in Jerusalem, a commotion having
arisen when Herod died, withdrew myself to the
wilderness until the commotion in Jerusalem ceased, glorifying the
Lord God, who had given me the gift and the wisdom to
write this history. And grace shall be with them that fear our Lord
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory to ages of ages. Amen.
This document is from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library
at Calvin College. Last updated on May 27, 1999.
Contacting the CCEL.